Trotting
fillies opened the card, as both ends of the Daily Double were Reynolds stakes
in excess of $27,000 each. Ma Chere Hall (Deweycheatumnhowe) took a new record
of 1:52.4 in the first. Corey Callahan rated her first over and wore down True
Day Dream in the final strides of the 28- closing quarter. Jonas Czernyson
trains the 2012 Kindergarten final winner for Walnut Hall, LTD; Aldebaran Park,
Inc & Joe Sbrocco.
Last
year's division leader To Dream On has had a less than auspicious beginning to
her three year old season but the Credit Winner filly flashed her old form in
the second Reynolds split to win in 1:54-. Yannick Gingras had a clue that she
would be improved and made it known via a pre-race tweet, citing an improved
workout. He put her on the lead early through an easy 58.4 half then sprinted
home in 55.1/27.1 to hold Mistery Woman at bay. Jimmy Takter trains To Dream On
for the partnership of Katz, Libfeld & Goldband.
Race
11 was the $50,278 Reynolds Stake. A select group of five trotters, all
with Hambletonian aspirations took to the track. In the end it was a
replay of last week as Spider Blue Chip and Dave Miller turned back Creatine to
score in 1:52.3. The winner is owned by David Mc Duffee and Melvin
Hartman, trained by Chuck Sylvester. Spider Blue Chip is eligible to The
Stanley Dancer Memorial, a key Hambletonian prep race next Saturday.
Spaced
around the Grand Circuit stakes were four divisions of New Jersey Sires Stakes
for freshman trotters. The fillies went off the card with Ravine (Muscle Hill) a winner for Mike
Lachance and trainer Bobby Stewart in 1:59.2. Diamond Creek Racing and J&T
Silva Stables share ownership of the filly.
The
second division, for a purse of $19,000, saw another from the first crop of
Muscle Hill in the winner's circle. This was Pacific Winds K, a homebred from
Bob Key who took a fast mark of 1:55.2 for Tim Tetrick. Paul Reid is the
trainer.
Hill
I Am was a repeat winner in the first of two $21,000 colt splits, an easy,
forwardly placed 1:55.4 winner for Corey Callahan. This is a sharp looking
homebred Muscle Hill colt, trained by Dennis A. Laterza for Roy Dobbins of
Alabama.
Division
two resulted in a mild upset, with Sumatra tracking down the heavily favored
Southwind Spirit in a 28- end to the 1:57- mile. Andy Miller drove the Muscles
Yankee colt, who prevented a Muscle Hill sweep, and shares ownership with Black
Horse Racing. Julie Miller trains.
The
action at the betting windows picked up right where it left off in June, hot
and heavy. The total handle for the 13-race program of $2,469,934
eclipsed the 2012 11-race program by 62-percent. The live handle also
showed gains of 36-percent over last year’s program. The Meadowlands goes
into its Meadowlands Pace Elimination program with 61 race days in the books,
and all 61 showing double-digit increases in handle.
The heat goes up several notches tomorrow
night at the Meadowlands with a single elimination for the Meadowlands Pace,
two contentious fields of nine in the WR Haughton eliminations and the NJSS for
freshman pacers. Post time is 7:15 and more information is available at the
Meadowlands website.
